Georgia head coach Kirby Smart gets real on NIL situation for QB room and balancing player development
It seems that the world of NIL gets more complicated by the day, but when asked about Georgia's situation this week Kirby Smart had some surprisingly simple answers. Many teams around the country may have real NIL issues when it comes to balancing player development and money, but is Georgia one of them? For the […]
It seems that the world of NIL gets more complicated by the day, but when asked about Georgia's situation this week Kirby Smart had some surprisingly simple answers. Many teams around the country may have real NIL issues when it comes to balancing player development and money, but is Georgia one of them?
For the past several years now Georgia has leaned into quarterback development as opposed to "buying" top talent (like many college football programs) and it's worked out glowingly for them. But why is that?
Kirby Smart wouldn't break down exact figures when asked about Georgia's NIL plans this week, but it seems that the Bulldogs have found some sort of special balance that allows them to maintain one of the deepest QB rooms with immense potential in the country.
First it was with Stetson Bennett, who developed from a walk-on to two-time national champion. And then it was Carson Beck, who waited his turn for over three years, developing and preparing, before taking over as Georgia's starter. And despite Kirby Smart admitting that "he doesn't know other [college football program]'s numbers" with NIL, Kirby got real with the media on how Georgia distributes funds at the most important position, quarterback.
"I don't know, because I don't know other people's numbers. That's the one advantage of the NFL with the salary cap and the information they have. It's probably more slotted there, obviously. And they almost have every position to find. And they have what they call them, franchise tender. They have tags and things like that. We don't have that much in depth, so I only know how we do it. And it's not perfectly slotted [by position]. The starters are typically going to get more, and then guys get adjusted based on where they are, and where they're playing. And the longer a guy's been there, and the more veteran he is, and the better he's playing, the more opportunities he has."
In the NFL it's much easier to standardize or slot in a certain amount of salary cap allocation position by position, but due to the lack of clarity on fair market value in college football compensation NIL mostly just complicates things.
However, after talking some about Stetson Bennett's development late in his career, Smart took a dive into how finding the right guy (like Bennett or Beck) who grows into your starter from being a backup actually ends up making them a bit more affordable so the quarterback compensation isn't so skewed across the position group in a way that discourages players from sticking around.
"It makes it hard. I think you're always trying to develop players [at QB]. So if you pick the right guy to develop, then he's not going to be as expensive as a starter. So you're trying to bring your guy along. Sometimes the NFL, in the old world, it was they came in making way too much. They came in making more. And then when they adjusted with the CBA, it changed things around [Matthew] Stafford's time. And we're not as skewed in that room as some people in terms of the backups. It is harder to keep a backup at quarterback, but I don't think it's because of NIL. I think it's just because there's only one quarterback that plays. So when a guy thinks he's not in the pecking order, he leaves instead of developing. And you get a lot of transient quarterbacks, and therefore you get less developed quarterbacks, less ready for the NFL."
Georgia has "picked the right guy" a couple times in a row now, it seems with Bennett and Beck. After this year they'll likely need to do that again as the team finds themselves with an impressive set of backups looking ready to step up next season. Jaden Rashada, Ryan Puglisi, and Gunner Stockton will all three likely compete to be the next great Georgia quarterback here soon, and from the sound of Kirby's comments, they're all already fairly compensated for their expected potential upside.
If Smart can continue managing NIL in an effective way across the QB room that communicates a sense of fairness and upward mobility, Georgia should continue raking in multiple talented options at signal caller for many years to come.
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